County Executive Ken Jenkins addresses Lewisboro Town Board

SOUTH SALEM, N.Y. - A “state of the county” update from Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins was a key highlight of the Lewisboro Town Board’s April 14 meeting. In his address, Jenkins touched on several issues of key importance to Lewisboro residents.

Jenkins pointed out that Westchester has a $2.5 billion budget and 4,200 county employees. 

“We were able to hold the line on taxes for the sixth year in a row,” Jenkins said. “We were able to continue to add $50 million for affordable housing developments, and we also established the new office of housing counsel to support legal services and eviction diversion throughout the county.”

The county’s budget also includes $303 million for public safety – which Jenkins said is a record sum for the county. The amount includes $78 million for police, $161 million for the corrections department, $46 million for the county department of probation, and $18 million for emergency services. 

Jenkins also noted that Westchester is in an enviable position of having Congressional representatives from both the Democratic and Republican parties. “So, no matter who's in charge at the top, we have one person or another that's going to be able to talk to those individuals to make sure that we're getting everything that Westchester deserves,” he said. 

Councilman Dan Welsh asked about the county’s efforts to regulate and minimize the finding of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in community water supplies. Jenkins noted that the state recently launched a $5.4 billion environmental bond fund that could help mitigate such concerns. 

Councilwoman Andrea Rendo noted that the Katonah-Lewisboro School District reportedly plans to end the town’s lease for space it occupies at the former Lewisboro Elementary School because of substandard water quality at the building. 

“The town will be in the position of looking for other places to put our town offices on a very short timeline, and it's going to be a huge burden on the taxpayers,” said Rendo. 

“We’re going to continue partnering to make sure that we can do these things at the best cost for our taxpayers – and utilizing the environmental bond act is one of those opportunities to do that,” said Jenkins. “Since this is the watershed for New York City, we have to continue to work together.”

Discussion on the board returned to the Lewisboro Elementary School building later in the meeting. Supervisor Tony Gonçalves noted that the school superintendent informed him last year that the building’s operating costs exceeded the rent the town pays to occupy space in the former school, which closed in 2014. 

“They're not going to convey the building, they're not going to allow us to use the building for municipal offices, so we do have to start looking at other options,” said Gonçalves.

The town’s Parks and Recreation, Building, Assessor, Planning/Zoning and Police Departments are now housed at the site, as well as the town court. Besides the water-quality issue, Welsh noted that the building requires a great deal of work to make it functional. “It doesn’t make sense for us anymore,” he said.

To gain more insight, Councilman Rich Sklarin suggested that the Town Board invite Dr. Ray Blanch, superintendent of the Katonah-Lewisboro School District, to an upcoming Town Board meeting.

Among other developments, the Town Board shelved a resolution to award a contract for the timber framing at the Town Pool bathhouse. The board members who voted for the postponement wanted to wait until the April 28 meeting, which would enable Town Comptroller Annie Burnham to prepare a comparison of funding options for this and other parts of the bathhouse project. They also wanted Deputy Town Supervisor Mary Shah, who was absent, to be present for the vote.

In a unanimous vote, the Town Board approved a $164,450 bid by J.F. Management Group to remodel the restroom structure at Onatru Farm Park. This bid was the lower of two that were received. The building was constructed in the early 1990s, and the project will include new James Hardie plank siding on the exterior, new epoxy flooring, new LED lighting, and other improvements.

The Town Board also voted unanimously to pursue a $1 million Municipal Parks and Recreation Grant for the construction of the new pickleball courts at Lewisboro Town Park. This is a new grant program announced by the state’s Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP).

The town previously applied for two separate grants of $100,000 and $125,000, but no grant funds have been disbursed yet. Those earlier funds would be used first should the town receive all three grants. The additional money will provide the town with a financial cushion for the final cost.

On other business, the Town Board:

• Issued a proclamation honoring longtime officer and former Police Chief Frank Secret. Secret first began his career with the town in 1982 and is retiring. The proclamation expressed deep gratitude for his decades of commitment, service, and leadership.
• Discussed, but took no action, on a proposed change to the town code that would prohibit the landing of private aircraft in town. The proposal cited the proximity of both Westchester County Airport and Danbury Airport. The proposal would also restrict helipads to residential-zoned large parcels of 50 acres or more.
• Discussed, but took no action, new rules governing short-term rentals, particularly with respect to noise, parking, and septic use.
• Approved a $29,700 bid to repair a grinder used by the Wild Oaks Sewer District.
• Approved a resolution enabling the town’s highway superintendent to purchase two International trucks – a “hot box” truck used for asphalt paving, and a truck equipped with a spinner for road salting/sanding during winter.